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The Battle of Oriadax IX
The Battle of Oriadax IX was an engagement during the Horus Heresy. The Loyalists forces were comprised of the Dark Angels Legion and a small contingent of the Iron Hands Legion, while the traitors were made up of several dozen Iron Warriors, as well as Imperial Army and Mechanicum contingents loyal to Horus. History: Prelude: As the Thramas Crusade raged on a Dark Angels Strike Cruiser, designated "Wrath of Caliban", came across a lone Strike Cruiser of the Iron Hands Legion limping crippled through space. The Iron Hands claimed to be survivors of the Drop Site Massacre on Istvaan V, and claimed to have information for friendly Imperial Forces. And so it was that Captain Sernidon, the ranking Iron Hands officer, was granted a personal audience with the Dark Angels' Primarch Lion El'Jonson. Sernidon explained that the Iron Hands were on a self-assigned mission to destroy a mysterious facility on the surface of Oriadax IX. The planet was in the hands of the traitors, and Sernidon had heard of the facility in intercepted messages by the traitors as the Iron Hands ship escaped the Istvaan system. The Lion resolved to aid Sernidon in his plan, and so dispatched a force of 500 Dark Angels under the command of a Captain named Andromar, as well as supporting vehicles, in a small fleet to assist the 108 surviving Iron Hands. The Lion regretfully explained that he could not spare any more resources due to the conflict with the Night Lords. The Battle: As the Imperials entered the system, they detected a minimal traitor presence in space. This was odd, but Andromar and Sernidon both reasoned that the traitors could have left a minimal presence in space so as not to draw attention to themselves. Despite this, the Astartes remained wary that this could be a trap. The Imperial ships approached the planet. The Traitor ships in orbit offered little in the way of a fight, and were soon defeated. As the Loyalist ships took anchor in orbit, a trio of Storm Eagle Gunships of the Iron Warriors Legion drew near. Thanks to experimental technology granted by their Mechanicum allies they were able to draw near to the loyalist ships undetected. The Dark Angels and Iron Hands determined that 50 Iron Hands, led by Sernidon, and 350 Dark Angels, led by Andromar, would launch a ground assault on the facility, as atmospheric conditions made an orbital bombardment nearly impossible without anything to lock onto. Both parties had locator beacons for the ships in orbit to lock onto so that the bombardment would be possible. The Dark Angels would attack from the North of the facility, and the Iron hands from the East. Once on the surface, the Dark Angels force deployed in Rhinos and a pair of Land Raiders, and were backed up by nine Predators. The Iron Hands embarked in a Spartan Assault Tank and three Rhinos. At the appointed hour both Legion forces launched their attack. The facility itself was two kilometres in diameter, with a central building surrounded by numerous Bastions and defence lines. The defenses were occupied by an Imperial Army Regiment loyal to Horus. The Dark Angels vehicles rolled towards the facility, while overhead their aircraft launched an Attack Run. The Fire Rapors and Thunderhawks were able to cause a two hundred meter wide gap in the defences for the Dark Angels, and then did the same on the Eastern flank for the Iron Hands. As the Legion Vehicles entered the facility's perimeter, the Legionnaire's of the Iron Hands and the Dark Angels disembarked from their transports. They easily overran the defences of the Traitor Imperial Army. Too easily. Something was not right. It was then that the Iron Warriors launched their attack. Their Storm Eagles destroyed several Dark Angles Rhinos, and also killed seventeen Legionnaires. The Iron Warriors then deployed behind the Dark Angles, mere moments before their Storm Eagles were destroyed by the Dark Angels' own air support. Mechanicum war engines poured out from inside the facility's central structure. The Dark Angels fought desperately, but were taken off guard. The Iron Hands, however, only had the Mechanicum to deal with. The Spartan Assault Tank proved its worth in that engagement, and the warriors of the Iron Tenth quickly made progress towards the central structure. Captain Andromar ordered most of his warriors to hold their ground while he personally led 50 Legionnaires to take care of the Iron Warriors. He charged into their misdt, his Sword killing traitors with every swing. His Warriors followed his lead and methodically put down Iron Warriors with well-placed bursts of Bolter Fire or careully-timed attacks with chainswords. As Andromar apprached the Iron Warrior in charge of the others, the IV Legionnaire raised a Plasma Pistol at the Dark Angels Captain. Andromar knew he would never reach him before the traitor fired, and a Plasma Pistol would kill him with one accurate shot. As the Iron Warrior was about to pull the trigger, a Bolter Round slammed into the side of the traitor's head. Sergeant Amandrael, second in command of the Dark Angels contingent, was the firer, and Andromar gave the Sergeant his thanks. Both Legionnaires turned back to see what was happening with the rest of the battle as the last of the Iron Warriors were killed. The Dark Angles and Iron Hands had almost crushed the remaining traitor forces and were approaching the central structure. The Iron Hands and the Dark Angles linked up for the final push. Nothing could stop them now, and the Mechanicum Techpriests were desperately trying to make a stand, but there efforts were in vain. Within minutes, the Loyal Astartes had won the day. They placed locator beacons on the inside of the structure, now that they knew that it was simply there as a trap. Soon after their craft arrived to take them back to orbit as the facility was destroyed by their ships. Aftermath: The Iron Hands determined to not return with the Dark Angles, as their fight was launching hit and run attacks in enemy space, not alongside the Dark Angels. And so it was that Dark Angels returned to their fleet and reported back to the Lion on what had occurred. Category:Battles Category:Chaos Category:Imperium of Man Category:History